Who Wendy chose to forget
by Booksnake3
Summary: When, years later, Wendy tells the story of her adventure in Neverland, she tells the bits she remembers fondly. But what if there was someone else in that story, someone that Wendy would rather leave out and pretend never existed? AU featuring Wendy's rebellious cousin from Yorkshire.
1. The Misfit

Sally had lived all her eleven year life on a farm in Yorkshire, with horses for best friends and half a dozen older brothers. She was the last person Wendy wanted to come and stay for a whole week, especially since it meant Wendy had to move out of the nursery to share a room with her.

"We've got to appear as respectable and well-mannered as possible," her father had informed them a month before, "Sally is coming to learn how to be a lady, so we must set the best example possible. Especially you, Wendy,"

In Wendy's opinion, anything would be lady like compared to growing up covered 24/7 in cow muck. But of course she had said "yes, father. It will be delightful to have another girl in the house to play dollies with," for she always tried her hardest to please her parents, no matter how arduous the task.

Her brothers, John and Michael, on the other hand, were completely over-excited to have someone so different come to visit.  
"I bet she's going be awesome at sword fighting!" yelled John as soon as he heard, "in Yorkshire they have wild cows and savage foxes and polar bears you know, and all the children have to learn to fight otherwise they get eaten!"  
"I bet she's going to be a real live pirate!" chimed in Michael, attempting to do a cartwheel across the nursery floor but falling into the pile of blocks which Nana had been carefully piling just the moment before, sending them sprawling across the shiny wooden floor.  
"Oh boys," sighed Wendy as she began to pick up the cubic wooden pieces, "you really must calm down. There are no polar bears in Yorkshire, it's not that far north. It isn't really near the sea either. It is highly unlikely Sally is a great sword fighter or pirate, so don't get your hopes up. And don't get silly while she's here either, she is learning to be a lady, not a pirate or red Indian,"

Now, sitting with impeccable posture in the drawing room, Wendy watched out of the window as the small horse drawn cab drew level with the house. She held her breath in anticipation as the door opened and a girl not much taller than herself jumped out. Not stepped. Jumped. The most unladylike descent Wendy could imagine. Her heart sank immediately.

The rest of the girl was just what Wendy had imagined a farm born girl to look like, only exaggerated tenfold. Scrawny, dirt brown hair reached to just above Sally's shoulders, and patched up dungarees (with a shirt so dirty Wendy couldn't tell what colour it was) covered the rest of the lanky body. The feet bore nothing less than a pair of wellies. Wendy could only assume they were the only shoes Sally owned because they were the least possible suited item of clothing for the streets of London. Unless, of course, one was purposely jumping in waterlogged drains and gutters for the fun of making splashes. But even Michael had grown out of that years ago.

Wendy watched her parents greet their niece, then supposed she had better go to the door and greet her cousin too. Taking care with the long silky skirt of her best dress, Wendy rose from her seat and glided out of the drawing room and into the shiny, wood-panelled hallway. From there, she turned left towards the open doorway, which was letting in the yellowish light of early afternoon. Before she got there, however, her parents re-entered, followed by Sally Darling, who instead of returning Wendy's polite curtsey, grinned and held out her hand in a friendly manner, saying "how do you do, I'm Sally but you can call me Sal if you can't be bothered to pronounce both syllables."

Wendy was very taken aback at this obvious lack of knowledge of etiquette, yet strong semblance of intelligence. Blinking, she clumsily shook her cousin's hand and said "pleased to make your acquaintance Sally, my name is Wendy."

Sally raised an eyebrow at the formality of her posh cousin's statement, but said nothing and passed on into the dining room after Wendy's parents.

"Would you like anything to eat or drink, Sally dear? You've travelled a long way," cooed Mrs Darling, gliding over to the cupboard and placing a delicate finger on the handle.  
"No, I only sat in the cab all day and night," said Sally, so bluntly that Wendy felt like putting her head in her hands,"but I'm a bit thirsty, could I have some water?"  
"Please," added Wendy patronisingly, earning a stern look from her mother and another raised eyebrow from her cousin. She got the impression Sally enjoyed giving people that look.  
"Of course you can have a glass of water dear," Mrs Darling turned back to the farm girl, now with a rather fake but soppy smile, and filled a glass with tap water before handing it over. Sally gave no word of thanks but downed the liquid in one gulp.

Mrs Darling did her best to seem unperturbed as she took the glass back and said "now Wendy, why don't you show Sally the room you two will be sharing and introduce her to the boys. They are very excited to meet you, Sally,"  
"Yes mother," Wendy answered, and led the way up the staircase to the nursery, where she knew the boys would be playing.

"Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!" the girls heard one of the boys shout from the other side of the door.  
"Surrender, ye scurvy codfish!" yelled a voice that was unmistakably John's. A loud clatter followed, and a guilty "whoops," as Wendy sighed and pushed open the nursery door.

A puddle was spreading over the highly polished but highly scratched wooden floor, originating from a broken teapot which had fallen off Nana's precariously balanced tray which the old dog had been taking downstairs. In the middle of the puddle sat Michael. It appeared he had tripped backwards over Nana and taken the teapot down with him. Nana hung her head and started sweeping up the broken china pieces with her nose, while John slumped onto his bed, dreading whatever punishment might come next. Michael, however, looked up and saw Wendy and Sally standing in the doorway, and a great big grin crept across his angelic features.

"John, look, Sally's here!" he yelled, jumping to his feet and promptly slipping in the brown liquid covering the floor, landing with a bump which rattled the rocking horse the other side of the room. John looked up from his hands and his eyes widened as he took in their cousin from the country. Then he remembered his manners and hopped to his feet, strode over to Sally and stuck out his hand.

"John Darling, terror of the high seas, at your service," he shook Sally's hand while giving an eager but lopsided salute.  
"Michael Darling, scurvy codfish, at your service!" piped up Michael from John's side, having successfully slid across the wet floor and pulled himself up using the hem of his brother's shirt.  
"How do you do," said Sally, "Sally Darling, at your service. But you can call me Sal,"

To Wendy's dismay, Sally played with the boys like they had been friends all their lives. While she fetched a flannel to mop up the mess on the floor, John and Sally duelled fiercely with wooden swords, Michael trailing not far behind, cheering and dripping. As soon as all the broken bits of china were scooped up and tossed into the bin, Wendy left the nursery and sat on her bed in her new room, darning a hole in one of Michael's socks.

Evening drew near and Wendy was still sewing determinedly when her mother entered her room.  
"Wendy dear, why on earth are you not in the playroom? They're having so much fun in there, although I can't say I approve of some of Sally's party tricks,"  
"Sally acts like a boy! I don't mind John and Michael, but I simply can't stand three of them." Wendy replied firmly.  
"Sally just has some growing up to do, that's all. And I'm glad that you are darning those socks but Wendy dear, you hardly gave Sally a chance! I could tell from the moment you saw her you had put her down as a hopeless case. Remember though, she's staying here for a whole week, so give her some time. By the time she leaves she'll be a whole new person, you'll see," and with that, Mrs Darling left the room, half a smile playing on her lips. She had a feeling that Sally would not be the only one who learned something this week.

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Thanks for reading, please review! :)


	2. The Shadow

Here is chapter 2, I hope you like it. I'm still not sure what to think about Sally, even though I made her, so I would really appreciate feedback :)

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Wendy had decided to give Sally three days. Three days to show some kind of change for the better, and until then, she would be as nice to her as possible in the hope that if Sally did decide to mature a little, they could be good friends. If, however, Sally showed no change, it would be back to the cold shoulder.

The first day had not gone well. Sally had gone out into the street with John and Michael to play with some of the other children who lived nearby, however being unfamiliar with the London streets, Sally had got lost in a game of hide and seek and was only found when John had the idea to give Nana her scent, an hour later. The boys were scolded by their father for letting Sally go astray, but nothing was said to Sally herself. Wendy remembered what she had decided and said nothing either.

Later, Sally had run out into the road in a frantic game of 'stuck in the mud' and knocked down a cyclist. Luckily, neither one was hurt, but Wendy could see that Sally was quite shaken for the rest of the day.  
"By Jove, I am jolly glad it was only a bicycle," remarked John afterwards.  
"Cows are a lot less dangerous though," said Sally shakily, dusting off her grubby knees and wiping her hands disgracefully on the dress she was wearing, which was one of Wendy's old ones but had still been kept in perfect condition up until now.

That evening Wendy had told a Peter Pan story as usual, but all through it she was put off by Sally's incessant fidgeting. She could tell her cousin wasn't interested. Afterwards, Sally asked her "do you believe in Peter Pan?"  
"Why, yes," replied Wendy, incredulously, "don't you?"  
"No," replied Sally bluntly, "I only believe in stuff if there's rock solid proof."  
"Oh, but there is proof," Wendy said, "did I forget to mention? Come here," and she led her cousin to the window. "Do you see the second star to the right?"  
"Yes,"  
"Well, if you follow that star, you will get to Neverland. That's where Peter Pan lives."  
"And how do you suppose anyone would get to Neverland?"  
"Well, Peter Pan flies," said Wendy, folding her arms and frowning. She didn't like where this was going.  
"Yes, I heard. Pixie dust. Since when has that been a real thing?"  
"Stop it!" cried Wendy, "just because you think Neverland isn't real doesn't mean you have to go around trying to prove your point. Just you wait. One day Peter Pan will come, and then you'll have to believe in him,"  
This earned the recently-made-infamous raised eyebrow.

The second day wasn't much better than the first. It was raining so the children played inside, and John somehow managed to drag Wendy into a game of Pirates and Indians, to "make the game fair". John and Sally were the pirates, since Sally could do the best pirate voice and John had won the argument with Michael over who got to be on Sally's team. That left Michael and Wendy as the Indians. John had made a makeshift bow and arrow out of two sticks, some string and a feather, but that had been banned by their father because it could "take someone's eye out". Instead, they had to stick to swords.

The pirate ship was John's bed, and the Indian camp was Wendy and Sally's bedroom. At first, Wendy had been unwilling to let Michael into the girls' room in case he knocked something over, but then John reminded her that she had shared a room with him for the last ten years, and with Michael for the last four years, and that they would do most of the fighting in the boys' room anyway.

As it turned out, they didn't get round to much sword fighting in the end. John and Sally were easily the better team, and as John advanced on Wendy, forcing her to retreat out onto the landing above the staircase, Sally combatted Michael close behind. Wendy and John were nearly through the door into the girls' bedroom when Wendy noticed that the other pair were too close for comfort to the top of the stairs.

She cried out, "be careful Sally!" but it was too late.  
Michael took a step backwards and his foot met thin air. Wendy had to look away from the awful scene but that didn't stop her hearing the thuds and crashes as her four year old brother bumped his way uncontrollably down the stairs. When Wendy finally looked up, she saw John with his mouth wide open, and Sally with a rather pained and guilty expression. The three moved as one to the stair rail, to look down on whatever damage had been done.

A small body lay at the bottom of the stairs, face down. It twitched a hand. Then it pushed itself up onto its feet, turned around to look at the three anxious faces up above, and said "Ta Daa!"

There were three simultaneous sighs of relief, followed by hurried footsteps from elsewhere in the house.  
"Oh George dear, I hope they're alright,"  
"They will be dear, they always- good heavens! What on earth are you doing downstairs Michael? I thought I told you to play upstairs! You can wreck the playroom but you are most certainly not wrecking the hallway-"  
"Now now George dear, no need to be so cross. I'm sure Michael wasn't playing down here, were you Michael?" Mrs Darling turned to her smallest son.

"I fell mama," explained Michael earnestly, "I'm a red Indian fighting bad pirates who made me fell!"  
"Fall, dear," corrected his worried mother, "who made you fall?"  
"The swashbuckling seamonster!" Michael cried, waving his small wooden dagger in the air, "I'm coming to get you, you scurvy fishhead!"  
With that, he turned from his mother and clambered up the stairs as fast as he could with one hand still clutching a dagger.  
"Which one of you was it?" asked Mrs Darling sternly, looking from Wendy to John.  
John shrugged but Wendy replied, "it was Sally, mother."

She regretted it immediately. She had completely forgotten her rule of being nice to their guest, and taken the opportunity to get Sally into trouble. But as her cousin descended the stairs for a 'little chat' with Mr and Mrs Darling, Wendy thought that, then again, it wasn't any less than she or John would have got if it had been they who accidentally knocked their brother down a whole flight of stairs. Perhaps a little discipline would be good for the unruly girl.

Wendy avoided Sally for the rest of the day, making every excuse to be alone in her bedroom. In the solitary hours she spent there, having darned the whole pile of socks and having nothing to do, she simply stared out of the window at the miserable rain cascading down the glass and wondered if it ever rained in Neverland. Of course it must, she told herself, or else nothing would grow. But rain to Peter Pan would be a game. He would splash in the mud with the lost boys, go swimming with the mermaids, or shelter under a tree making plans for a surprise attack on the pirates. Then he and the lost boys would go home to their tree and sit in their holes and tell stories while listening to the rain splashing on the leaves outside.

Wendy sighed. Thinking about Neverland usually made her happier, but this time it was only reminding her of all the things her life wasn't. The rain seemed to echo her thoughts, completely obscuring the grey London backdrop that was Wendy's whole life. At least Sally had grown up with green grass and not grey pavements, cows and sheep and not people, people and more people. How monotonous life was! If only there was such a thing as adventure. If only there was such a thing as Neverland-

Wendy caught herself a moment too late. She had thought that dreaded thought. The one that was impossible to take back. For a moment, she hadn't believed in Neverland.

"Of course it's real," she told herself out loud, "it is real, it is real,"  
It had to exist didn't it? The second star to the right was proof of that. It always shined brighter than the rest. But deep down, Wendy knew that her cousin had planted a doubt in her that would grow until she found some "rock solid proof".

Right then there was a flicker of movement by the window, Wendy jerked her head up, but she couldn't be sure whether it had just been a trick of the weather. Looking at the clock on the wall she saw that it was nearly the boys' bedtime. Time for the usual story about Peter Pan. She got up from the bed and went into the boys' room, closing the door softly behind her. She saw her mother tucking the boys under the covers and Sally sitting by the window.

As soon as Wendy moved into the room, Sally got up and walked straight out. Wendy assumed she was still cross about the stairs incident, but Wendy said nothing but sat down by the window and looked out into the rain. It was finally starting to ease off a little, she thought.  
"Tell us a story Wendy," said Michael sleepily from his bed.  
"Yeah, go on, tell us about the time when Peter Pan chopped off Captain Hook's hand" added John.  
"Ok," replied Wendy, still looking out of the window, "one day, Peter Pan was out flying with Tinkerbell..."

The story lasted until Wendy could finally hear John's steady snoring, and Michael had stopped fidgeting altogether. She was about to get up when she saw a little dark shape on the windowsill. It wasn't very clear, because the sun was almost below the horizon and the rain still partly obscured it, but the shape was unmistakably the shadow of a person. It moved, but Wendy slammed her hand down on it, catching it just as the person leapt off the windowsill outside and flew away.

Wendy smiled to herself as she stuffed it safely in the toybox and locked it in. Now she had the perfect "rock solid proof", and she knew Peter Pan would be sure to return tomorrow for his shadow.

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Please leave a comment, reviews make me happy :)


	3. The Star

_The first thing I'd like to say is thank you to all you wonderful people who reviewed! I am well aware how small this fandom is so every review makes me so happy I could fly! Nothing much happens in this chapter, but I promise I will be a bit quicker with the next chapter and they will get to Neverland soon enough! I would also like to hear all your ideas on how you want the character of Sally to progress, since I haven't thought it out much, so reviews would be greatly appreciated :)_

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Sally woke up the following day feeling tired. She hadn't slept well at all. It wasn't that Wendy snored, or rolled around in bed, or did anything to disturb her whatsoever; in fact, Wendy was about the quietest sleeper she had ever met. It wasn't even that, for some strange reason, Wendy insisted on keeping the window wide open all night. No, it was the thought of sleeping so close to someone she was sure hated her.

Sally had tried to be friendly to Wendy, right from the moment they met. She hadn't been at all in favour of visiting her snobbish cousins in the first place, but her mother had insisted.  
"Your father's brother has a delightful family," she told her, "I hear that Wendy is less than a year older than you, I'm sure you'll get on like peas in a pod."  
"I hear that they make a dog do all their housework," Sally retorted, "what kind of treatment of animals is that, anyway?"

And here she was now. Her mother had won the argument, and she had arrived in London three days ago. The boys seemed nice enough, although John had been wary of her ever since Michael fell down the stairs. Wendy, on the other hand, had rebuffed her every time she had tried to be nice, and Sally had to conclude that she was simply a snob through and through. Plus, she had ridiculous ideas about that Neverland place.

Seeing that her nemesis was still fast asleep, Sally slipped out of bed and into a dressing gown - another item of clothing that had been Wendy's once upon a time. What Mr and Mrs Darling failed to notice, or could not be bothered to notice, was that although she was younger Sally was almost an inch taller than Wendy and the clothes she was given were the ones Wendy had grown out of, so they all hung well above the knee. That said, Wendy wasn't as skinny as Sally, so the clothes were also slightly too wide. Sally pined for her good old dungarees, but, Mrs Darling said, they weren't fit for a "Lady". Sally didn't care about being a lady. She would rather live on a farm and wear dungarees all her life. Getting married wasn't top of her priorities by any means.

Sliding quietly out of the door, Sally tiptoed to the boys' room and pushed open the door. It only gave the tiniest creak. Both the boys were asleep. Sally wondered why no one was up yet; it was 7 o'clock already. For the farm-born girl, that was late. She decided not to wake them, but to pass the time with one of their pointless little toys - a cup with a ball attached by a string. The idea was to swing the ball up and catch it in the little wooden cup, and it was harder than it looked. She soon realised, however, that the little tapping noise it made whenever the ball hit the cup might wake the slumbering boys, so she looked around for another occupation.

Then she noticed that the wooden toybox at the back of the room was rattling, ever so slightly. There was something in it. From experience, she knew what noises wooden boxes made when they had different animals in, so she could usually tell what was in a crate without looking at it. This time, though, she had no idea. The box was too small to fit anything bigger than a one-month old piglet in, but she had never met any piglets that struggled that hard, or any chickens that struggled that little. Then again, the box had a lot of toys in too, so that must muffle the sound.

But there were no chickens in London, she reminded herself. The only animal around here was Nana, and she was too big to fit in a toybox. The box rattled harder, and Sally decided that the only way to find out was to open it. After making sure there was no escape from the nursery by closing the window and door, Sally approached the toybox with caution. She was surprised the boys hadn't woken up yet, since the rattling was now quite loud. Placing one finger on the latch, she flicked it open.

The toybox lid flew upwards and a shape shot out like a bullet. It zoomed around the walls so fast that to Sally's eyes it was merely a blur. But eventually it's energy expired and it settled just above the bookshelf, hovering in mid-air.

Sally had never seen a picture of Peter Pan, and she hadn't listened very carefully to any of Wendy's stories, but she knew the moment she saw it who the shadow belonged to. Her first feeling was awe, and the second was guilt for having been so harsh to Wendy about her "fairy story". But then the awe overtook the guilty feeling and Sally stared in wonder. Neverland was real! Peter Pan was real! It was all true, every last bit of it. Now Sally wished she had listened harder to Wendy's stories, because all of a sudden they seemed fascinating. Well, she had asked for rock solid proof, and now she had got it.

Suddenly there came a ginormous yawn from the heap of blankets on John's bed. A pair of glasses slid lopsidedly onto the floor as a clumsy hand reached out for them, knocking them off the bedside table. Hide the shadow, thought Sally quickly. She had to get it back in the toybox before any of the boys woke up. That meant she had to catch it first.

The shadow had moved from it's resting place above the bookshelf, and was now propped up on one elbow against the wardrobe. Sally dived. There was a clatter as a wooden train was sent skidding into the ball and cup that Sally had been playing with not long before, but Sally ignored it. Her fingers outstretched, she was millimetres away from the shadow's foot, then she had it! The shadow struggled, but it had been a nanosecond too late in it's reaction and now Sally had a firm grip on it's foot. Ruthlessly, she stuffed it back into the toybox and closed the lid, locking it shut, a moment before John sat up in bed.

"What're you doooing?" he said through a gaping yawn which showed each and every one of his shiny white teeth.  
"Um...nothing," replied Sally as innocently as she could, "just waiting for you to wake up,"

Luckily for Sally, John did not question this but proceeded to get out of bed, fumble in a drawer for some clothes and demand that Sally turn her back while he put them on. A few seconds later he announced that it was all clear and she could look round again, so she did and found him sitting on his bed pulling on horrendous orange, yellow and navy striped socks. Sally didn't care much herself for matching colours, but she still couldn't contain a chuckle. John looked up.

"Why were you up so early this morning?"

"Couldn't sleep. Window was open," lied Sally smoothly. However much he might complain about Wendy behind her back, she was sure he wouldn't take kindly to a declaration of outright loathing for his sister.

"Do you want to grow up?"

"What?" John's lightning quick change of subject had caught Sally unawares.

"Adults are so boring. I don't want to ever become one," said John, leaning back on his bed with his arms behind his head, "do you?"

Sally thought for a moment, then said, "no. Mum has been trying to get me to grow up for years. I think me coming here was her last resort, but to be honest, I really don't want to become a lady,"

"What's wrong with being a lady?" Questioned John, intrigued.

Sally scoffed. "Would you like to try being one for a day and see how it feels?"

John made a noise of indignation. "I was only asking!" He defended.

"It's like being a slave," said Sally matter-of-factly, "always having men being the stronger ones. Always having doors opened for you. Having to wear dresses," she made a gagging noise at the last one, and continued, "doing the cooking, doing the cleaning, being expected to bring up kids, being polite to everyone you hate, being an item for the husband to show off at business dinners, having long hair which always gets in the way, staying in the house and sewing all day, being something pretty," Sally almost spat out the last word and sank down onto the windowsill, a deep scowl etched onto her face.

John, having sat back up, slouched in silence, mulling over Sally's words. He was frowning, and Sally wanted to know what he was thinking but didn't dare disturb his train of thought. Eventually he spoke.

"It's not a very good situation," he began, "but I personally don't see why you should have to,"

"Have to what?" Asked Sally quickly, eager to know John's opinion.

"Have to be what you aren't. To pretend that you are someone else. I say you forget about the whole lady thing and become a boy," announced John with conviction.

"Thank you, finally someone who agrees with me!" Exclaimed Sally in relief, "but not the becoming a boy thing, I think I'll just stay as a tomboy thank you very much,"

"What do you—" began John.

"Never mind," Sally cut him off, going slightly pink.

Thankfully, that was the moment Michael decided to wake up. The noise of a yawn and a soft thud as he slid to the ground still wrapped in his blanket announced his presence to the two older children, and John was quick to let the previous awkward moment pass as he leapt up from his bed and pulled the blanket off his younger brother to lay it neatly on his bed.

Then, having been awoken by the sounds of voices from the nursery, Wendy walked in, and the day started.

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That day went by, to both Wendy and Sally's surprise, quickly and without incident. They learned at breakfast that Mr and Mrs Darling would be going out all evening and that they would be cared for by Nana and that Wendy was in charge if anything terrible happened. It was true that the way Wendy said "yes, father," in such meek submission made Sally's skin crawl with hatred - almost everything Wendy did now got on her nerves - but Sally never said anything and even smiled at Wendy as they passed each other in the hallway, Sally, John and Michael on their way out to play on the street, Wendy going upstairs because the boys had "forgotten" to make their beds.

After dinner, John and Michael went upstairs to play pirates but Sally did not go with them. Mrs Darling wanted to ask her about how she was getting on with Wendy, and whether she felt any more like a lady than when she arrived, and if she was considering coming to London for good. Sally answered no, she didn't talk to Wendy much (which was the truth, although again she kept her deepest feelings to herself) and no, she didn't feel like a lady (no point telling a lie there, it was pretty evident) and no, she preferred the countryside (she hadn't even known staying in London was an option but as the thought made her almost convulse in horror she thought she had better not get Mrs Darling's hopes up).

Suddenly there was a shout from upstairs.

"AND WHAT IS THIS?" Came the voice of Mr Darling, so loudly that it made Mrs Darling jump even though she was a flight of stairs away from it. She started running towards the nursery, and Sally was close on her heels.

"It's a map, father!" Came John's voice, "look, X marks the spot!"

An incredulous noise followed. Mrs Darling rushed into the room and ran immediately to her husband. While they talked in hushed tones, Sally was able to take in the scene around her and understood immediately what all the fuss was about. Bricks all over the floor, a pirate map, two wooden swords and a coat hanger lying on a bed, John and Michael hanging their heads, Nana looking rather forlorn and Wendy, whom Sally hadn't seen arrive, imploring her father to forgive her brothers - it could only have been one of their Peter Pan vs the Captain Hook games, and it had gone badly wrong.

Her curiosity satisfied and knowing the scene was only going to get worse from here, Sally quietly left the nursery and slipped into the girls' bedroom. She shut the door against the angry shouts of Mr Darling, who apparently had started up again, and stared out of the window. It was almost dark but only a few stars were out yet, and the clouds obscured some of them. As a cloud moved aside, however, Sally saw a star that was brighter than the rest - a lot brighter - and suddenly thought of Peter Pan. The second star to the right, it must be. But Peter's shadow was locked in the toybox in their bedroom. Sally smiled. He would have to come back for it sometime, wouldn't he?


	4. Pixie Dust

_And Peter finally arrives and stuff finally happens! Neverland in the next chapter! And any reviews are welcome, this story is open to so much change, anything could happen. If people don't tell me otherwise I might just decide to kill off all the good guys and make Wendy marry Hook or something ridiculous. So please, don't let my insanity take over, leave a review and I will (try) not to make anything drastic happen. Of course, I might just decide to do something crazy anyway, so please don't take that as a threat! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter whether you think I'm crazy or not :)_

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As soon as Mr and Mrs Darling left the house - Mr Darling still in a state of annoyance and Mrs Darling trying desperately to calm him down - Sally made her way casually over to the playroom to find out what exactly had transpired. As she carefully pushed the door open, however, she realised that this had been no laughing matter. John was sitting on his bed with his chin resting on his hands looking thoroughly miserable. Michael was sporting an expression of thorough shock as he hugged his teddy bear close. Wendy - and though Sally hated her, she couldn't bear to see this sight - sat on the window sill, staring out into the gathering dusk with silent tears running down her face. None of them noticed Sally as she slipped back out of the nursery, closing the door noiselessly behind her and tiptoed back to her room.

Sally assumed Wendy would spend the night in the nursery. The room was cold, but Sally didn't mind and she liked the breeze from the wide open window so she left it open. She wasn't tired, either. Getting into a nightdress right now seemed, to put it frankly, unnatural. She was well used to late nights and early mornings, not to mention getting up in the middle of the night sometimes during spring when many animals on the farm were giving birth, so tiredness just wasn't a thing she felt any more.

Staring out of the window far into the distance (no doubt what Wendy was also doing in the nursery), Sally almost missed something so close to the window it was almost touching it. A flicker of light. She leapt up, brought back down to earth with a jolt, and peered out of the open window. She almost fell out in surprise.

A tiny glow, the size of a person's hand and definitely no bigger, was illuminating a green-clad figure who had his back to the wall and was looking the other direction and was absolutely definitely completely no doubt about it floating in mid air. Sally blinked. Despite having known it must be true for more than twelve hours, seeing him was quite a different thing altogether. A trill of bells near her ear reminded her that there was someone else about - the light, to be exact. It was coming off a miniature person with wings who glowed with a golden light and had an air about her that spoke of... Sass. She was now fluttering an inch from Sally's ear, and Sally turned, startled, to face her.

The fairy - Tinkerbell, if Wendy's stories were factually correct - was standing, no, flying right in front of Sally with one hand on her hips and a look that said "what are you staring at him for, huh?"  
"Sorry!" Whispered Sally, because Peter still hadn't noticed where Tinkerbell was or the fact that she had been there at all. She moved back into the room and gestured for Tinkerbell to follow. The fairy shook her head firmly, turning her nose in the air.

"You're more of a snob than Wendy is," remarked Sally, annoyed. That caught Tinkerbell's attention. She flew in at once, and stopped a foot from Sally's face, a look of indecision on her face, as if she didn't quite know what to think of her new acquaintance. Sally took the chance to be friendly, because she had a whim about this fairy. She had a way of talking to animals on the farm that always seemed to gain their trust, even though pigs and cows couldn't tell that she was spilling her innermost feelings to them. And as it seemed that the fairy didn't speak so she thought it was fairly safe to be completely truthful.

"Hi, I'm Sally," she said, "I come from up North, in Yorkshire, and I don't like it at all down here in London. I like the countryside, especially trees. They're not annoying like people," she glanced at the fairy, who had fluttered to sit on top of the wardrobe. One eyebrow was raised, but other than that Tinkerbell looked fairly interested, so Sally continued, "I came here to be taught how to be a lady, but I don't want to be a lady. I want to be myself, not tied down to anyone. I mean, who would ever want a relationship?" This was met with wide eyes, a lot of nodding (which made a faint tinkling sound) and a smile. Sally guessed she had said the right thing, and she followed it up with, "I don't know about you, but don't you find Wendy so annoyingly perfect? She's like the stereotype of a daughter, going to grow into the stereotype of the perfect housewife. She doesn't like me because I don't care much for manners, so I don't like her back,"

It seemed she had finally hit the nail on the head to gain Tinkerbell's full trust, as the fairy came fluttering down to land on her shoulder.

"I don't like Wendy either," said the fairy. Sally thought she was imagining things.  
"I thought you didn't talk?" She said incredulously. Tinkerbell gave a little laugh and smiled mischievously.  
"I don't - not to Peter. Not since Wendy,"  
"What do you mean?" Asked Sally, still finding it hard to take in this new revelation.  
"I used to talk to him all the time. He was the only one I would talk to. But then he started coming here all the time to listen to her. The stories she tells. Half of them aren't even true. So I haven't said a word to him since."

Sally finally understood, and suddenly felt the urge to laugh. Tinkerbell was jealous! Of Wendy! Yes, they could definitely be friends. Oh yes. The fun they would have.

"Peter's in the nursery, so are Wendy and John and Michael. Do you want to go through?" She asked the fairy. Tinkerbell nodded, but then pulled her hair to stop her, a mischievous grin on her face. She fluttered over Sally, sprinkling golden dust on her, and Sally felt weirdly light, like she could fly. Of course, pixie dust!  
"You can fly now," said Tinkerbell, with a giggle, "just see how Wendy likes that!"

Sally gave a laugh too. She was looking forward to the expression on Wendy's face when she found out Sally could fly. But it would have to wait for the right moment, otherwise it could all go to waste. Sally had a sudden thought, and stopped Tinkerbell before they opened the door to go to the nursery.  
"Tink, how long does fairy dust last for?" She asked.  
"Depends on how regularly you get it. Yours will only last for a few hours, but if I were to, say, stop giving it to Peter, it would take a few days at least to wear off," was the reply.  
"Tink, if you don't want Peter coming here, why do you give him fairy dust? You could just stop and he wouldn't be able to any more,"  
Tinkerbell gave a pained expression and didn't answer, then flew to the door handle and attempted to turn it. Sally took that as the end of that conversation.

In the nursery, they met a sight which made them laugh. Peter had caught his shadow and was attempting to attach it to his foot with a bar of soap. Wendy giggled affectionately.  
"Oh Peter, you can't stick it on with soap, it needs sewing! Here,"  
Peter looked up at Wendy's face, then tossed the soap bar across the room before giving in and letting Wendy use her needle and thread to attach the shadow to his shoe. Sally watched incredulously. She had never known shadows could be sewn onto people, like they were items of clothing. Then again, she hadn't believed in any of this until that morning.

In the back of her mind she was dimly aware that Wendy was talking a lot, but Sally wasn't paying any attention because she was keeping an eye on Tinkerbell. The fairy was hovering agitatedly around Peter's head as he sat down cross-legged on Wendy's old bed and Sally knew she was in turn keeping an eye on Wendy.

Eventually Peter remarked over Wendy's monologue, "girls talk too much,"  
"Yes, girls talk too...oh," said Wendy, and Sally stifled a laugh before realising what Peter had just said. No matter what she might feel about Wendy, Sally wasn't going to let her tarnish the reputation of the female sex. Here was where she stepped in.

"Some girls talk too much," she said with a glare at her cousin, "but some of us know how to be silent. Don't judge too soon,"  
Peter's head whipped round, a pan flute halfway to his lips. He suddenly saw Sally, who he hadn't noticed was in the room, and a confused expression crossed his face.

"Wendy, who's this?" He asked. Sally could already tell he didn't like her much. That was ok by her, because she had already taken a disliking to him.  
"Oh, that's Sally," replied Wendy, completely forgetting Peter's earlier comment and starting off again, "she's my cousin. She comes from a farm in Yorkshire and she's learning how to be a proper lady,"  
"You mean learning to grow up?" Peter wrinkled his nose.  
"Well...yes, you could put it that way," said Wendy, slightly reluctantly, "her parents thought I would be a good influence,"  
"That's stupid," said Peter, with a look of disgust.

Sally raised an eyebrow from the shadows where she was lurking near the window. She was beginning to rethink her hasty disliking of this boy.  
"It's not just Sally," said Wendy with a sigh, "they want me to grow up as well. I don't sleep in the nursery any more,"  
Peter flew into the air with a start, snapping the thread that Wendy was still using to re-attach his shadow and making John and Michael, who were both sitting up in their beds, jump.

"What?" Exclaimed Peter, "but what about your stories?"  
"Stories?" Asked Wendy, confused.  
"The ones you tell at bedtime. I tell'em to the lost boys," explained Peter.  
"But they're all about you!" Exclaimed Wendy.  
"Of course, that's why I like them," replied Peter, shrugging.  
Sally scoffed inaudibly. So Peter Pan was a self-centred git after all.

"I guess..." Wendy began, but Peter cut her off.  
"Come to Neverland. You'll never have to grow up there."  
"Oh but Peter, I can't!" Replied Wendy, devastation in her voice, "what would mother say?"  
"Mother? What's a mother?" Asked Peter. Sally nearly choked in surprise.  
"Why, a mother is someone who loves you and cares for you and tells you stories," said Wendy. Now Sally felt a sick feeling inside at the soppiness of it all.

"Great, you can be our mother!" Cried Peter, taking Wendy by the hand and attempting to lead her out of the open window, when Tinkerbell decided that was going too far. Grabbing Wendy by the hair, she tugged her away from Peter with surprising strength for someone so small.  
"Tink, what are you doing?" Said Peter, annoyed, "Tink, come back!"

Tinkerbell had taken off out of Peter's reach as he made a swipe for her with his hat, and now he was chasing her around the room, bouncing on the boys' beds, causing Michael to tumble onto the floor and John's glasses to fall off. Peter made a lunge, and Tinkerbell didn't dodge fast enough, so the fairy was swept into the green hat and held in there tight, although she still struggled.

"Peter, let her go," Sally said firmly, stepping forward into the light. She disapproved strongly of him taking advantage of being bigger than the fairy to hold her captive, and Tinkerbell was her friend now, no matter for how short a time. Peter, however, shook his head, saying,  
"She needs to learn a lesson. I will keep her in there until we leave,"  
"Leave for where Peter?" Asked Wendy, but Sally cut her off.  
"Let. Her. Go."

"Now look here," said Peter, spreading his arms to Sally, "she's only a fairy,"  
At this, Tinkerbell struggled so hard that Peter let go of the hat and the fairy flew out, glowing red with anger, to land on top of the chest of drawers. Sally gave Peter a dirty look and stalked over to join Tinkerbell as John found his glasses again and voiced the question that Wendy had asked just a moment ago.

"Where did you say we were going?"  
"To Neverland!" Exclaimed Peter, "so Wendy doesn't have to grow up,"  
"We're going to Neverland!" Cried Michael, in a state of high excitement, "we're going to Neverland!"  
"But Peter, how do we get to Neverland?" Asked Wendy. This was the moment Sally had been waiting for.  
"Fly, of course!" Said Peter, "it's easy. You think of a wonderful thought,"  
"Any happy little thought?" Asked Michael in awe.  
"Yup," replied Peter, enjoying the reactions of the three children. Sally didn't join in.  
"Like toys at Christmas?" Asked Wendy.  
"Sleigh bells?" Added John.  
"Snow?" Michael put in.  
"Yup, watch me now, here I go!" Peter answered, then took off into the air as if it were water and he was merely swimming.

"He can fly! He can fly! He can fly!" Cried Wendy, Michael and John in awe. Sally thought they should know better now than to be surprised. Hadn't Wendy said in all her stories how he could? And there was no other way he could have got here in the first place.  
"Now, you try," Peter said, landing gracefully and taking Wendy's hand. Wendy in turn took John's, and John took Michael's. Sally chose not to be part of the chain. She noticed that Tinkerbell hadn't moved to separate Peter and Wendy this time, but she could guess why. Watching Wendy attempt to fly without pixie dust was going to be highly amusing, and Sally turned and gave the fairy a little wink. Tinkerbell winked back.

"One, two, three," Peter, Wendy and John said together, then they all jumped. Sally's happy thought, because Peter said they had to have one, was the fact that she wasn't going to have to grow up after all. She could live in Neverland forever and act just how she pleased, even if there were also annoying people on the island like Peter and Wendy. She imagined Wendy's happy thought was about Peter. It was pretty obvious she adored him and Sally could see why Tinkerbell was jealous.

Five people soared into the air. Two stayed up. Crashes and bounces echoed off the walls as Wendy, Michael and John tumbled onto the bed, and the room rang with the sound of bells as Tinkerbell laughed so hard she fell off the wooden block she was sitting on. Sally herself couldn't help doubling over in the air as she laughed so hard her whole body shook. Peter looked from Tinkerbell, to Sally, and back again, a slight frown on his face.

"What's the matter with you, Tink?" He asked the fairy, but Tinkerbell was laughing too hard to answer. Wendy stood up, brushing down the creases in her nightgown and looking slightly upset. Sally found she didn't enjoy seeing that look on her cousin's face, but it brought a kind of satisfaction nonetheless. Peter was still musing to himself:

"All it takes is faith and trust... Oh, and there's something I forgot! Dust!"

"Dust?" Echoed the three children still on the ground in unison, as Sally give Tinkerbell a meaningful look and the fairy took off immediately to get out of Peter's reach. She was too slow, however, and Peter caught her by the wing tips. The fairy pouted as he shook her unceremoniously over Wendy, John and Michael, and the siblings gazed in wonder at the golden dust that floated down. Then, Peter turned to Sally. She had known the interrogation was coming, but she had hoped it wouldn't be too soon. She could lie her way through it anyway, it wasn't a big deal. Lies came to her as easily as truths, and were often her preferred verdict, even if some of the ones she came up with were so bad she had to rely on her stubbornness to get her by.

"Why could you fly, when the others couldn't?" Peter asked, fixing her with a piercing glare.

"I don't know," she replied easily, "Tink must have flown over me or something,"

Peter didn't seem satisfied with that answer, so she added:

"Maybe my happy thought was happier than theirs,"

The green clad boy shrugged, still not trusting, but saying, "ok, whatever. We should be going. Off to Neverland!"

This time, everyone stayed in the air, and they followed Peter out of the window single file, Sally and Tinkerbell bringing up the rear.

"Thanks for covering for me," Tinkerbell whispered in Sally's ear.

"Anytime Tink," Sally whispered back with a wink, "I happen to be a fully qualified liar,"


	5. Jealousy

_So, um, I'm kind of obsessed with The Hobbit at the moment so my hobbit fic is kind of taking over right now...yeah...sorry. But this isn't forgotten, I promise!_

* * *

The cloud was like candy floss, but less sticky and a thousand times softer. Sally thought she could sleep up there forever. But the island that stretched down below was too dazzling for anyone to dedicate more than a moment to enjoying the wonders of actually being able to sit on a cloud, and plus, there was also the slight problem of imminent death. A cannonball wasn't going to stop in its tracks just so someone could spend a bit longer rolling around in a giant ball of fluff (which was supposedly condensed water vapour hanging in the air but seemed rather more solid than that in Neverland). As Sally paused to consider that the laws of physics did seem to work rather differently in this place, she felt herself being pushed forcefully down into the cloud, hair whipping around her face from the breeze of the the big black ball of metal that flew over her.

"I could have ducked myself," she quipped at Peter as they slowly peeked back over the edge. He chose to ignore her but turned to the fairy who hovered by his left ear.

"Tink, take Wendy and the others to the tree, I'll distract them," he told her with authority. Tinkerbell gave a cheeky mock salute, then beckoned with one tiny hand for Sally, Michael, John and Wendy to follow her before zooming off towards the island below.

It took all of Sally's energy just to keep up with the fairy as she zoomed towards the woods. Risking a glance back, she realised that her cousins were now far behind, unable to fly fast enough.

"Tink, wait up!" She called to the fairy, but Tinkebell only turned for a split second - long enough to give a distinct shake of her head - before zooming off even faster than before.

Sally turned again to look behind her, but now treetops obscured the sky and Wendy, John and Michael were nowhere to be seen. When she looked back in front of her she was only just in time to swerve round a tree trunk, and Tinkerbell had disappeared. Sally had no idea where she was going without the fairy to guide her, but deciding she wouldn't be any better off above the forest than in it, she sped on in the same direction as before, dodging and looping round trees but hoping she wasn't too far off track.

Suddenly there was a commotion from below her and slightly to her right, so following the whoops and yells, Sally saw a group of boys emerging into a clearing and taking positions behind bushes and rocks, a various assortment of shooting weapons ready to fire. She hung back a little, where they couldn't see her, then spotted a small green light behind a leaf. Tinkerbell! What was she doing assembling a firing squad so hastily?

As a blue shape appeared against the sky through a gap in the trees overhead, Sally realised with a jolt what was going on. A split second later, all hell was let loose as one of the boys cried "fire!" and rocks, sticks and pebbles were sent hurtling towards Wendy. Quicker than she herself would have believed possible, Sally flew out from her hiding place and across the clearing, seeing with a sick feeling where Wendy might land should she fall all the way. The jagged rocks below spelt certain death.

Three cries rang in the air above the cheers of the boys below; Wendy screamed, John yelled in shock and horror, and Michael cried out, afraid. The distance between Sally and Wendy was closing fast, but Sally couldn't help fearing it wasn't fast enough and she wasn't going to make it. Then, hardly realising it, she was there and Wendy was awkwardly in her arms, breathing fast in shock and looking paler than Sally had ever seen her. As they floated slowly to the ground, John and Michael close behind, a figure burst through the trees above them and flew gracefully to their side.

Peter's eyes widened as he took in Wendy in Sally's arms, the looks of shock on John and Michaels's faces and the lost boys' gleeful expressions as they rushed forward, weapons held aloft and all claiming that they shot down the "Wendy bird". Their leader took one step forward, face suddenly furious, and they all stopped.

"What do you think you were doing? You could have killed her!" Peter yelled, eyes moving over the crestfallen boys like burning lasers.

"Tink said it was a Wendy bird," said one boy, confused at Peter's anger.

"Yeah, she said to shoot it down!" added in another.

Sally felt the sick feeling in her stomach worsen. Of course Tinkerbell hated Wendy, but surely not enough to want to kill her? Apparently fairies weren't such gentle beings after all. Sally's brown eyes searched the leaves where she had last seen the green glow, and found it just as Peter called out.

"Tinkerbell?" There was accusation in his voice.

The fairy strutted out from behind the leaf, sporting an innocent expression which didn't fool anyone.

"Come here, Tink," warned Peter.

The fairy shook her head.

"Did you do this?"

Tinkerbell nodded in an agonisingly self satisfied manner.

"Right, that's it. I hereby banish you forever,"

"Oh please Peter, not forever," exclaimed Wendy, who was now on her own feet and running forward to plead with Peter. Sally personally agreed that forever was a bit harsh.

"Fine - a week then," Peter agreed, and Wendy smiled at him sweetly. Sally now thought he was being a bit too lenient. She had once been confined to her room for a month after getting caught stealing sweets from the sweetshop, meaning her parents had had to pay a fine. Once she was let out, she'd had to work extra hard on the farm to make up for the money she had lost them, which had been exhausting work, so she had always been more careful not to let herself get caught after that.

She didn't say anything about this arrangement, though, because she did think Peter wasn't trying hard enough to understand the fairy (or girls in general, for that matter) so it was probably better if Tinkerbell returned sooner rather than later, and Sally followed Peter and the lost boys back to the home tree without a word.

The home tree was impressive, there was no doubt about that. It's many entrances and hollows made it perfect for someone - or in this case many people - to live in, and the way the lost boys navigated it with ease showed how much of a home it was to them. Sally couldn't begin to guess how long they had been living here, as time wasn't much of a concept here in Neverland, and age didn't exist at all. They could be hundreds of years old for all she knew.

She herself slid smoothly down a hatch, years of climbing trees meaning her balance was almost faultless and she made a graceful landing, much to her relief. She couldn't begin to acquaint herself with the lost boys by showing herself up. Wendy, on the other hand, stepped daintily down with a slight wobble, accepting a helping hand from Peter. Sally decided from then on to try and ignore her cousin, as it seemed everything she did was annoying in a tiny way. She may have just saved Wendy's life, but that didn't change her feelings towards her.

Sally couldn't help but wonder about Tinkerbell, and whether the fairy was alright out there on her own. Of course she had to be, the fairy knew the island, but Sally was still uneasy.

"Hey Sally, do you want to come and see the mermaids?"

Her head automatically turned at her name, and Sally saw Peter and Wendy looking at her expectantly. Maybe they had warmed up to her because she had saved Wendy's life.

She shrugged, "whatever," and skipped over to join them. Perhaps she wasn't being fair and should give them both another chance. One way or another, this excursion would show for sure whether they were actually going to get along or not, and though mermaids didn't interest Sally as much as pirates, she wasn't going to turn down such an offer. Anyway, there was no harm in getting to know the island a bit better, so without hesitation she picked up the hem Wendy's old nightgown and followed Peter into the sky.

It didn't take them long to fly to the mermaid lagoon, and Sally found that she thoroughly enjoyed the flying part, because for once they could see things closer up and not be in a rush, so she could properly take in the view. She found from Peter that the boys had gone in search of Indians, and she was a little disappointed at first that they hadn't offered her the chance to go with them, but once Peter had explained that nine times out of ten they got caught by the Indians before they had even spotted one, she cheered up. Getting captured by Indians wasn't top of her To Do list.

As they approached the small ring of rocks, Peter directed them to the ground so they could approach on foot. He said the mermaids got jealous of other girls so they wouldn't take kindly at all to two who could fly. Sally took this as a warning not to annoy the mermaids in any way, and immediately felt something spark inside her. Her good conscience rolled its eyes in her head, but she pushed it away, knowing that nothing was going to quell the spark of mischief that now flickered deep within, and without Peter or Wendy noticing, she moved behind a rock while they continued down into the cove. It would be fun seeing how neat Wendy's hair was after a little dip in the pool.

Wendy was very excited to meet real live mermaids, and she couldn't understand what Peter was warning her about. They were sure to be lovely people, after all, mermaids always were, weren't they? As she stepped delicately down to the water's edge, she saw one settle herself on a rock and start going through her long, dark hair with a delicate comb.

"Who's this, Peter?" the mermaid spoke surprisingly harshly, glaring at Wendy as if she were something foul.

"Why have you brought a girl along?"

"Yeah, who is she?"

Peter had flown over to sit on a rock the other side of the cove, wallowing in the attention but ignoring Wendy's noises of annoyance as she got splashed again and again.

"That's Wendy," he told them, leaning back with his hands behind his head, oblivious or pretending to be.

"Wendy, come and swim with us," jeered one mermaid, tugging at Wendy's nightgown in an none too friendly manner.

"Yeah, come on, it's lovely and warm," called another, joining in with the taunting.

"Peter, you brought two?"

All eyes turned to first the mermaid who had spoken, a blonde with green eyes like jewels, then to Peter, then finally to the figure who had appeared between two rocks higher up the cove.

Sally had made some major alterations to Wendy's old, white nightgown. Annoyed by the flapping skirt, she had made two tears down the middle of it then wrapped it snugly round her thighs and knotted it skilfully to create a pair of shorts. She had also tied a long strip of fabric, which she had ripped off the hem, round her waist as a makeshift belt. All in all, it was a completely new outfit. The look on Wendy's face as she saw what had become of her old nightgown made Sally want to die of laughter, but she held it in as she slid smoothly down the rocks to the edge of the pool.

"Do you want to swim with us?" one of the mermaids asked in mock sweetness.

"Don't mind if I do," replied Sally, and in one fluid movement she dived into the pool and resurfaced near a rock in the middle, casually treading water. This had been the reason for her alterations - she knew from experience how hard it was to swim in a dress.

The mermaids looked on in disbelief, as did Wendy. Only Peter seemed unperturbed.

"What's the matter with you?" Sally asked, wiping a dripping strand of hair out of her face, "care to join us, Wendy?"

Wendy shook her head, a little scared. "I can't swim," she admitted, embarrassed.

"It's really not hard," Sally reassured her, "all you have to do is -"

At that moment Sally's eyes widened in shock and she took a desperate gasp of air before disappearing suddenly under the water, as if something had just dragged her down. Underneath the water, she looked around to see three mermaids surrounding her, laughing silently. One of them held her foot in an iron grasp, keeping her under the water so that she couldn't breathe. Eyes bulging, Sally realised she would have to break free if she was ever going to breathe again, so summoning all her energy she used the grip on her foot to fold herself over to reach her toes with her fingers, but that wasn't her target.

As her fingers closed around the neck of the mermaid holding her, she smiled an evil smile and watched the mermaid's expression turn from glee to horror and fear. The grip on her foot loosened and she was able to kick strongly upwards to the surface, where she broke above the water with a gasp of delicious air. Shaking her chestnut coloured hair out of her face once more, she climbed swiftly onto the rock beside her then took off into the air, hovering above the mermaid lagoon and looking down on the irritated mermaids with an expression not of anger, but of patronising disapproval.

"You know, I was really expecting something nicer when I came to meet mermaids," she remarked.

"Get down!" Peter told her sharply, but Sally shook her head.

"I'm going to stay up here as long as I feel like it," she said defiantly, but Peter had flown up and grabbed her by the ankle.

Annoyed at being hauled downwards by the ankle for the second time in two minutes, Sally struggled, but gradually she noticed that the sun had disappeared behind a cloud and all the mermaids had dived into the water out of sight. A dark shape was making its way across the water past them. Realising that Peter hadn't been pulling her down out of spite and feeling a bit embarrassed, Sally flew down immediately to peer out of a hole in the rock to see what the shape was.

A small rowing boat held three people in it: a fat, white haired chap with a red hat and a stripy sweater, someone who could be none other than Captain Hook himself, and a young Indian girl, bound and gagged but keeping her composure remarkably well. Sally found Peter and Wendy beside her, and heard Peter whispering.

"They've got Tiger Lily! We have to follow them,"

"Who's Tiger Lily?" asked Wendy.

"The daughter of the chief Indian," replied Peter, "I wonder if the Indians know about this,"

"Oh, they'll have realised she's gone," Sally told him, "but they won't know where. I bet they're not very happy,"

"But aren't the boys looking for the Indians?" asked Wendy, looking worried.

For once, Sally was following the same line of thought as her cousin, and their eyes met in understanding. Peter looked on, confused.

"I'll go to the Indian camp to warn them," Sally told Peter and Wendy, "you can save Tiger Lily,"

Wendy nodded and Peter suddenly caught on and nodded too.

"It's that way. Don't let Hook see you," he told her, but she was already gone.


End file.
